FREDERICKTOWN – Law enforcement officials say they have identified the individual suspected to be involved in last Thursday’s police shooting in Fredericktown.
Now, they’re asking for the public’s assistance in locating him.
Darren L. Price, 38, of Howard, has been identified as the man who allegedly pointed a firearm out of his vehicle and toward a Fredericktown police officer, according to Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer.
This caused Patrolman Josh Jones to fire at Price, Chief Kyle Johnson said in a press release Friday, and initiate a vehicle pursuit that would ultimately be terminated near the Richland County line. The vehicle was found abandoned in Richland County approximately two hours later.
Jones has since been placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy, while the Bureau of Criminal Investigation completes its investigation. Price has remained at-large, as local and state authorities have asked for the public’s help in locating him.
On Tuesday, Shaffer issued a warrant for his arrest.
“Price should be considered armed and potentially dangerous. He may have altered his appearance after the incident,” Shaffer said in a statement. “Anyone with information is asked to contact the dispatch center at 740-397-3333 ext. 1.
“The incident remains under investigation by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Fredericktown Police Department, and Ohio B.C.I.”
Local authorities were able to identify Price through citizen tips and private investigative tactics, Shaffer said.
“The public tips were huge,” Shaffer said. “We combined that with some of the evidence we recovered, and some of the other information we got from our investigative resources – we just kind of combined that, put it all together, and it pointed us in the direction of Darren Price.”
The public shared information with the sheriff’s office in a variety of ways, Shaffer said.
“We had messages on the office Facebook page, we had gotten information from our crime tip line, and we had faxes sent in or relayed from dispatch that pretty much all said it looks like Darren Price, or it is Darren Price, or here’s why it’s Darren Price,” Shaffer said.
“That kind of got us started in that direction, and the other evidence we discovered and received kind of meshed with that.”
The sheriff’s office issued the warrant for Price’s arrest Tuesday “on probable cause that we have to back up the charges we’re looking at,” Shaffer said.
Those charges include fleeing and eluding and having weapons under disability.
“He’s got a felony drug conviction out of another state and that is the basis for the weapons-under-disability charge,” Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville said.
Price has a long criminal record locally, court documents indicate. He has accumulated four felony charges and 15 misdemeanor charges over the last 20 years.
Price pleaded guilty in 2001 to 13 counts of forgery, as well as breaking and entering, and was sentenced to 22 months in prison. He was convicted in 2004 of failure to comply with a police signal or order, a third-degree felony, and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Price has also served jail time on charges of domestic violence, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and criminal trespassing.
Price was convicted twice in May of driving under FRA suspension, the penalty issued in Ohio for drivers who demonstrate a lack of financial responsibility. He was scheduled to have a pay-plan hearing on July 14 in Mount Vernon Municipal Court.
Last Thursday’s incident began as a traffic stop, Johnson said. Jones pulled Price over for a registration violation, as his license plate did not match the maroon Pontiac sedan he was driving.
When Jones approached the vehicle, Price allegedly pulled a gun on Jones, pointing it out of his driver’s-side window.
It’s still unclear if Price fired his weapon, although Johnson said Jones fired his duty-issued sidearm as a result. While Jones was not injured during the altercation, Price’s medical status is unknown.
Knox Pages has requested from BCI copies of any footage of last Thursday’s incident, including body-worn camera and dashboard camera recordings. The website has also filed a public-records request with the Fredericktown Police Department for Jones’ personnel file. Those requests remained unfulfilled as of Tuesday.
Last Thursday’s incident in Fredericktown marked Knox County’s first officer-involved shooting since 2014, McConville said. Johnson thanked the public for its assistance in the case so far.
“We can’t thank the public enough for the tips that they’ve provided in this case,” Johnson said. “The tips we received from the public were extremely helpful.”
Now, the search for Price continues. While Shaffer said his detectives checked Price’s listed address Monday (on Stull Road) and “have been monitoring certain locations for him since the event actually happened,” his location remains a mystery.
Detectives have not established a specific search radius at this time, Shaffer said.
“Once again, we are looking for the public to give assistance as to where he may be staying or hiding out at …” Shaffer said. “I would say it’s fairly wide open.”
